John Carpenter’s 109-Minute Sci-Fi Horror Masterpiece Is Officially Leaving Streaming

With Zack Snyder planning a remake of Escape From New York, a new generation of fans is about to discover the classics of director John Carpenter. They may want to get a head start this month by checking out one of Carpenter's most acclaimed movies, which is currently streaming on Peacock. The movie was originally released in 1982, and while it wasn't a massive box-office hit, it has cemented itself as a classic of the sci-fi and horror genres. It now ranks among the far more successful sci-fi classics of the era, such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Alien. In fact, the movie was remade in 2011, but the new version ended up bombing as well.

The original starred Kurt Russell in the lead role of a pilot who, along with a team of researchers in Antarctica, encounter a mysterious alien creature that can shape-shift. Produced on a reported budget of $15 million, the film grossed around $20 million worldwide. The 2011 remake, which starred Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton, tapped out at around $31 million worldwide against a reported budget of $38 million. The remake received poor reviews and is now sitting at a 34% score on Rotten Tomatoes, while the original holds a "Certified Fresh" 85% score on the aggregator website.